Through Jan. 1, the Times-Call will look back at a year that demanded that people step up, told through the stories of residents who have brought their communities together, who have fed their neighbors, who have paid it forward -- and who have saved lives. We know that this list isn't complete and that dozens of heroes have gone without recognition. But throughout this series, you will see a sampling of the good in the St. Vrain Valley. 2013 needed heroes, and it got them.

At an unsteady, red picnic table off Main Street, seven Lyons residents gathered Thursday to rehash the community's reaction to the September flood that devastated their town.

Lyons business owner Rebecca Louzan blushed as Tamara Vega Haddad, an adminstrator for the Lyons Chamber of Commerce, doted on her organization in the chaos. Vega Haddad's eyes watered as she talked about the courageous efforts of town administrators and the entire group laughed as handyman Harry Kellogg told tales of his exploits in the mud.

Kellogg re-enacted his exploits on Main Street as he described how a group of residents on Evans Street built a blockade of shovels, rocks and other debris to divert water from his neighbors' home three days after the flood.

While many residents were grabbing a handful of personal items and leaving town on Sept. 15, Kellogg was one of about 10 residents who became known as the Evans Crew. They stayed in Lyons despite the lack of utilities and diminishing food and water supplies.

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"This is my town and I didn't want to leave it empty," Kellogg said. "We helped each other, took care of each other and watched out for our neighbors who weren't here."

Vega Haddad was watching debris float down the river from the opposite bank as Kellogg and a few other men created a make-shift wall in hopes of saving their neighbor's home.

Chunks from area homes, pieces of roads and bridges, parts of recreational vehicles and tires floated by while the team worked.

"There was so much floating down the river that you almost stopped paying attention to it," Vega Haddad said, "until a spewing propane tank got everyone's attention again."

A group of residents who were walking the banks collecting supplies and checking on their neighbors began yelling at the crew to get away from the river and take cover, Vega Haddad said.

"Luckily, no one was hurt but it was one of those moments that made everyone realize how serious this was," Vega Haddad said. "I mean that's the last thing we needed was for something to blow up but it didn't phase Harry. He jumped behind a tree for a minute and then got right back to work."

There are many acts of kindness that will remain unknown but the seven residents who met on Main Street Thursday shared the stories of heroism they witnessed in the days following the flood.

The Evans Crew spent days cleaning homes near the river, salvaging items their neighbors left behind and taking care of residents who were either stuck in their homes or chose to stay.

The Evans Crew is just one example of what she calls the "unsung heroes of the flood," Vega Haddad said.

"They're the doers, the ones who didn't wait for instructions but just got in there and got their hands dirty helping," Vega Haddad said.

Many residents and volunteers stepped up during the flood to assist those affected in Lyons, she said, and for every resident who made an impact, there was another hero who made those efforts possible.

Kellogg credits residents who evacuated Lyons but returned daily with food and supplies with keeping the group's efforts alive.

"They were keeping us stocked with ice and water and making sure we had what we needed to keep doing our thing," Kellogg said.

Food and water were key to keeping efforts in Lyons going in the weeks after the flood, which would not have been possible without Vega Haddad's efforts, Kellogg said.

Tamara Vega Haddad

After living in Lyons full-time for only six months, Vega Haddad connected residents with one another for support.

She paired residents who were attending town meetings with babysitters who could watch their children while they were gone, helped individuals in need of supplies find donations and connected grieving homeowners who lost everything with empathetic residents who offered a shoulder to cry on.

John O'Brien

After floodwaters washed through Lyons, the town and all of its businesses were without power, utilities and customers, hitting local business owners hard during a typically busy season.

John O'Brien, the chair of the Lyons Economic Development Commission, organized meetings and worked with the Town of Lyons to spearhead a swift recovery for local entrepreneurs, Vega Haddad said.

"Those folks' livelihoods were threatened, in addition to some of their homes, Vega Haddad said. "They needed someone like John to come in and coordinate that recovery and focus on those businesses to get things back on track."

But recovery would not have been possible without the help of the entrepreneurs, O'Brien said.

Rebecca Louzan

Usually, when committees are formed you get the same 10 or 20 people who volunteer for all of them," O'Brien said. "At our first meeting after the flood, we had at least 100 people show up, and several new volunteers who stepped up when we needed them to and Rebecca was one of them."

From a trailer in her backyard, Louzan, who owns Lyons Yoga & Wellness, launched lyonsfightsback.org -- a site that provides information about recovery and an opportunity to donate when communication was sparse.

"She had a website up before the power was even on," O'Brien said. "We needed a way for people to be able to donate, and later that day it was on our website."

Louzan also helped coordinate volunteer efforts and developed lyonsvolunteers.org, which she was inspired by the work of Lyons resident Edward Kean.

Edward Kean

Kean is heading up emergency volunteer efforts in Lyons, including groups who are clearing debris and mucking out houses to coordinating crews in rebuilding efforts, Louzan said.

"One thing that made him a hero is he owned it from the beginning, no questions asked," Louzan said. "When he speaks, people listen, and he has so much empathy for this town that people connect with that."

Jeremy Matsen

While some volunteers stepped up to lead efforts following the flood, others are working diligently behind the scenes, like Jeremy Matsen, Louzan said.

Matsen works is an administrative intern at the Town of Lyons, which is being praised by most residents for its swift action and organization following the flood.

Matsen played a pivotal role in opening the evacuation center at Lyons Elementary and coordinated Red Cross and volunteer crews, Vega Haddad said.

Kyle Miller

Among those employees who are continuing to go above and beyond their duties is Kyle Miller, who runs the town's Public Works department, Matsen said.

Miller's team drove a front-end loader through the river during the flood to rescue at least five residents who would not have made it otherwise, Matsen said.

Ellen Hine

Despite the lack of utilities and cold temperatures following the flood, Ellen Hine and her partner, Gabry Cornell, opened their store ReRuns on Sept. 18 -- less than a week after the flood began -- to distribute used clothing and household items to those in need.

Donations were coming in slowly at first since blockades limited access to the town, but items began piling in thanks to the efforts of Pastor Emily Flemming of Lyons Community Church.

Emily Flemming

In addition to supplies, Flemming was providing much-needed spiritual and emotional support to Lyons residents following the flood, Hine said.

"So many people lost everything, and even though they needed stuff to get by, they couldn't find comfort in the material things," Hine said. "She cuts through the crap to hear what people are saying, and it was like anytime anyone in town needed sometime, she would appear."

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